A BLEARY-EYED WOMAN HAD JUST ARRIVED AT O’HARE International Airport after a 15-hour overnight flight from India. She stopped at my Terminal 5 information desk to see if she needed to fulfill any immigration requirements. As we talked, she put her passport into her purse—and then she couldn’t find it.
“You stole my passport! You stole my passport!” she screamed.
“No, I saw you put it in your purse,” I told her. “Keep looking.” I could see she was exhausted, so I didn’t take it personally. Fortunately, amid the general din of this busy terminal, the fuss was barely noticeable. She frantically searched for another few moments, found the passport, and then immediately walked away, muttering half apologetically, “It was a long flight.”
I’ve met plenty of stressed travelers at O’Hare, where I’m one of the information desk volunteers
